An interview with Mary Pat Christie

Mary Pat Christie has been by her husband’s side long before he was the Governor of New Jersey. She is a big part of who Governor Chris Christie is.

“My wife has been an indispensable part of everything that I’ve done with my life over the last 30 years…” Gov. Chris Christie said when he launched his 2016 campaign for president on Tuesday, June 30th.

Mrs. Christie sat down with Chasing News for an exclusive interview to talk about her life before she met Gov. Chris Christie.

Born Mary Pat Foster in Paoli, Pennsylvania, she's the ninth of ten children.

Mary Pat attended Villa Maria Academy, a private Catholic high school for girls in Malvern, PA. She shared rarely seen photos with us from her high school yearbook, where she played field hockey.

"I was an all-star goalie," she said. "I got appointed to the all-star team my senior year. And I always tell my kids that and then they remind me what a rinky-dink conference I played in, so that it really wasn't that big a deal."

And like many of us, she left high school with a different plan for her career than what she ultimately pursued.

"I probably thought in grade school that I would be a teacher because I admired my teachers so much. Then, when I got to high school I thought I'd be an engineer," Mary Pat said.

She was accepted into the engineering program at the University of Delaware, but soon switched majors.

"It was about the second semester of my freshman year that I realized physics and calculus were just not doing it for me, so I changed to finance."

It was at the University of Delaware that she met the governor.

"At Delaware, I got right involved with resident student life, as you may have noticed, and got involved in something called the RSA and that's actually how I met Chris."

She graduated with a degree in business finance and later obtained her master's degree in business administration and finance from Seton Hall University.

Mary Pat has been married to the Governor for almost 30 years and they have four children. She recently left her career in finance and said it was to spend more time with her family and young children.

As first lady, Mrs. Christie launched New Jersey Heroes to recognize those who give back to the community. She also founded the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.